Optical effect material and methods

ABSTRACT

An optical effect material used for making shredded, flaked, die-cut and sheets of decorative materials. The optical effect material comprises an iridescent sheet and a light transmitting material connected together. Methods for using an optical effect material.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is also a continuation-in-part of copending applicationU.S. Ser. 07/968,798, filed Oct. 30, 1992, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUSFOR COVERING PORTIONS OF AN OBJECT WITH A MATERIAL HAVING PRESSURESENSITIVE ADHESIVE COATING APPLIED TO AT LEAST A PORTION OF AT LEAST ONESURFACE OF THE SHEET OF MATERIAL; now U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,934 which is acontinuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/865,563, filed Apr. 9, 1992, entitledMETHODS FOR WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,814;which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/649,379, filed Jan. 31,1991, entitled METHOD FOR WRAPPING AN OBJECT WITH A MATERIAL HAVINGPRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE THEREON, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,638; whichis a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 249,761, filed Sep. 26, 1988,entitled METHOD FOR WRAPPING AN OBJECT WITH A MATERIAL HAVING PRESSURESENSITIVE ADHESIVE THEREON, now abandoned; which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/219,083, filed Jul. 13, 1988,entitled ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,031; which is acontinuation of Ser. No. 004,275, filed Jan. 5, 1987, entitled ARTICLEFORMING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,182; which is a continuation ofSer. No. 613,080, filed May 22, 1984, entitled ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM,now abandoned.

This application is also a continuation-in-part of copending applicationU.S. Ser. No. 07/965,585, filed on Oct. 23, 1992, entitled WRAPPING AFLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIEDTHERETO, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.07/893,586, filed Jun. 2, 1992, entitled WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING WITHSHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIED THERETO, now U.S.Pat. No. 5,181,364; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/707,417,filed May 28, 1991, entitled WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETSHAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIED THERETO, now abandoned;which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/502,358, filed Mar. 29,1990, entitled WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE ORCOHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIED THERETO, now abandoned; which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/249,761, filed Sep. 26, 1988,entitled METHOD FOR WRAPPING AN OBJECT WITH A MATERIAL HAVING PRESSURESENSITIVE ADHESIVE THEREON, now abandoned; which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/219,083, filed Jul. 13, 1988,entitled ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,031; which is acontinuation of Ser. No. 07/004,275, filed Jan. 5, 1987, entitledARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,182; which is acontinuation of Ser. No. 06/613,080, filed May 22, 1984, entitledARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now abandoned.

This application is also a continuation-in-part of copending applicationU.S. Ser. No. 08/024,573, filed Mar. 1, 1993, entitled ARTICLE FORMINGSYSTEM, now abandoned; which is a continuation of 07/464,694, filed Jan.16, 1990, entitled ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,027;which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 219,083, filed Jul. 13, 1988,entitled ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,031; which is acontinuation of Ser. No. 07/004,275, filed Jan. 5, 1987, entitledARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,182 which is acontinuation of Ser. No. 06/613,080, filed May 22, 1984, now abandoned.

This application is also a continuation-in-part of copending applicationU.S. Ser. No. 08/095,331, filed Jul. 21, 1993, entitled METHOD FORCRIMPING A WRAPPER ABOUT A FLORAL GROUPING, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,939;which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. 07/963,882, filed Oct. 20,1992, entitled WRAPPING MATERIAL HAVING A PULL AND PULLING INDICIA FORWRAPPING A FLORAL ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD, now U.S. Pat. No 5,408,803;which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/865,563, filed May21, 1992, entitled METHODS FOR WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING, now U.S. Pat.No. 5,245,814; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/649,379,filed Jan. 31, 1991, entitled METHOD FOR WRAPPING AN OBJECT WITH AMATERIAL HAVING PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE THEREON, now U.S. Pat. No.5,111,638; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/249,761, filedSep. 26, 1988, entitled METHOD FOR WRAPPING AN OBJECT WITH A MATERIALHAVING PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE THEREON, now abandoned.

Said application Ser. No. 07/963,882 is also a continuation-in-part ofU.S. Ser. No. 07/893,586, filed Jun. 2, 1992, entitled WRAPPING A FLORALGROUPING WITH SHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIEDTHERETO, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,364; which is a continuation of U.S.Ser. No. 07/707,417, filed May 28, 1991, entitled WRAPPING A FLORALGROUPING WITH SHEET HAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIEDTHERETO, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.07/502,358, filed Mar. 29, 1990, entitled WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPINGWITH SHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIED THERETO, nowabandoned; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/249,761,filed Sep. 26, 1988, entitled METHOD FOR WRAPPING AN OBJECT WITH AMATERIAL HAVING PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE THEREON, now abandoned.

Said application Ser. No. 08/095,331 is also a continuation-in-part ofU.S. Ser. No. 07/923,117, filed Jul. 30, 1992, entitled METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A WRAPPER FOR A FLORAL GROUPING HAVING A FLAPFOR CLOSING THE UPPER END OR THE LOWER END OF THE WRAPPER; now U.S. Pat.No. 5,307,605; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No.07/803,318, filed Dec. 4, 1991, entitled WRAPPING MATERIAL FOR WRAPPINGA FLORAL GROUPING HAVING STAGGERED STRIPS OF ADHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIEDTHERETOAND METHOD, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,016; which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/707,417, filed May 28, 1991,entitled WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE ORCOHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIED THERETO, now abandoned; which is acontinuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/502,358, filed Mar. 29, 1990, entitledWRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVEMATERIAL APPLIED THERETO, now abandoned; which is a continuation-in-partof U.S. Ser. No. 07/249,761, filed Sep. 26, 1988, entitled METHOD FORWRAPPING AN OBJECT WITH A MATERIAL HAVING PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVETHEREON, now abandoned.

Said application Ser. No. 08/095,331 is also a continuation-in-part ofU.S. Ser. No. 07/940,930, filed Sep. 4, 1992, entitled A METHOD OFFORMING A FLOWER POT COVER WITH CRIMPED PORTION, now U.S. Pat.5,361,482; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/926,098,filed Aug. 5, 1992, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING ADECORATIVE COVER PENDING; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser.No. 07/803,318, filed Dec. 4, 1991, entitled WRAPPING MATERIAL FORWRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING HAVING STAGGERED STRIPS OF ADHESIVE MATERIALAPPLIED THERETO AND METHOD, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,016; which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/707,417, filed May 28, 1991,entitled WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE ORCOHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIED THERETO, now abandoned; which is acontinuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/502,358, filed Mar. 29, 1990, entitledWRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVEMATERIAL APPLIED THERETO, now abandoned; which is a continuation-in-partof U.S. Ser. No. 07/249,761, filed Sep. 26, 1988, entitled METHOD FORWRAPPING AN OBJECT WITH A MATERIAL HAVING PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVETHEREON, now abandoned.

Said application 07/940,930 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser.No. 07/687,701, filed Apr. 18, 1991, entitled WRAPPING MATERIAL HAVING ASHAPE SUSTAINING ELEMENT AND METHOD, now abandoned; which is acontinuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/649,263, filed Jan. 30, 1991,entitled FLEXIBLE VASE, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S.Ser. No. 07/248,960, filed Sep. 26, 1988, entitled FLEXIBLE VASE, nowabandoned; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/219,083,filed Jul. 13, 1988, entitled ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No.4,897,031; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/004,275, filedJan. 5, 1987, entitled ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No.4,773,182; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 06/613,080, filedMay 22, 1984, entitled ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now abandoned.

Said application 07/926,098 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser.No. 07/687,701, filed Apr. 18, 1991, entitled WRAPPING MATERIAL HAVING ASHAPE SUSTAINING ELEMENT AND METHOD, now abandoned; which is acontinuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/649,263, filed Jan. 30, 1991,entitled FLEXIBLE VASE, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S.Ser. No. 07/248,960, filed Sep. 26, 1988, entitled FLEXIBLE VASE, nowabandoned; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/219,083,filed Jul. 13, 1988, entitled ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No.4,897,031; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/004,275, filedJan. 5, 1987, entitled ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No.4,773,182; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 06/613,080, filedMay 22, 1984, entitled ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM, now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to decorative material and particularly, opticaleffect material used to both wrap objects and as decorative shreddedmaterial or cut material, and methods of using same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the optical effect material constructedin accordance with the present invention, showing a bonding materialdisposed on the lower surface of the second sheet of material whichconnects the second sheet of material to the adjacent first sheet ofmaterial to form the optical effect material.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the upper surface of the first sheet ofmaterial constructed in accordance with the present invention, the upperand lower surfaces being identical.

FIG. 3 is top plan view of the upper surface of the second sheet ofmaterial constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention, but showing the second sheet of material as a plurality ofstrips of material which are spaced a distance apart and laminated tothe upper surface of the first sheet of material.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention, but showing a third sheet of material disposed adjacent andconnected to the upper surface of the second sheet of material, which isalso disposed adjacent the first sheet of material.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a plurality of sheets of optical effectmaterial constructed in accordance with the present invention forming acontinuous roll of sheets, the sheets separated by perforations, and theroll partially unrolled to reveal a single sheet still attached thereto.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a roll of optical effect materialwherein the roll of optical effect material is disposed in a dispenserfor separating the roll into separate sheets of optical effect materialand dispensing the separate sheets of optical effect material from theroll of optical effect material.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a roll of optical effect materialwherein the roll comprises a single sheet of optical effect material.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a pad of sheets of optical effectmaterial constructed in accordance with the present invention, showingan edge of the top sheet lifted, exposing the second sheet (each sheetof optical effect material, shown as only one sheet, comprising a firstsheet of material and a second sheet of material).

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the pad of sheets of optical effectmaterial shown in FIG. 9, but showing the top sheet of material beingdetached from the pad of sheets of optical effect material.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a roll of optical effect materialconstructed in accordance with the present invention (the first sheetand the second sheet shown as combined into a single sheet), showing aknife edge being actuated by an actuator to cut at least a portion ofthe roll of optical effect material into elongated strips of opticaleffect material.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the roll of optical effect material ofFIG. 11, but showing the knife edge being actuated in a seconddirection, to cut the elongated strips of optical effect material intosmall pieces of optical effect material.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a floral grouping disposed on a sheetof optical effect material.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the floral grouping of FIG. 13 beingwrapped in one method of wrapping.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the floral grouping wrapped in aconical fashion.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of another method of using a sheet ofoptical effect material to wrap a floral grouping in a cylindricalfashion.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the sheet ofoptical effect material of the present invention, and a pot disposedupon the sheet.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the sheet of optical effect material ofFIG. 17, but showing the sheet of material partially wrapped about theflower pot.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the sheet of optical effect materialwrapped about a flower pot.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a pre-formed decorative pot coverformed from a sheet of optical effect material.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a potted plant and preformed decorativepot cover of FIG. 20, but showing a potted plant disposed into thepre-formed decorative pot cover.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention, showing a wrapper comprising a sleeve for wrapping a floralgrouping, constructed in accordance with the optical effect material ofthe present invention.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the wrapper of FIG. 22 but showing thefloral grouping disposed inside of the wrapper with the bloom portionnear the first end and the stem portion extending from the second end.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the wrapper of FIG. 23 but showing thewrapper crimped about the stem portion of the floral grouping, thecrimped portion forming overlapping folds.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a modified wrapper similar to thewrapper shown in FIG. 24 but having the bonding material disposed on theouter surface of the sleeve, and showing the wrapper crimped about thestem portion of the floral grouping, the crimped portion formingoverlapping folds.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention, showing a wrapper comprising a sleeve for covering a flowerpot, the vertical perforations torn at the upper portion of the sleeve.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the wrapper of FIG. 26, but showing thevertical perforation torn open and the circumferential perforationsbeing torn.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the wrapper of FIGS. 26 and 27, butshowing the upper portion torn away and the remaining lower portion ofthe sleeve forming a decorative cover about the pot.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of the presentinvention, showing a wrapper for a floral grouping, wherein the wrapperis sized to wrap a single bloom and single stem.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The Embodiments of FIGS. 1-5

Iridescent material is frequently used in confetti, glitter, flakes,tinsel, labels, decals, stickers, sequins, decorative shredded material,such as, but not by way of limitation, decorative grasses (suchdecorative shredded material also being called herein "filamentaryportions"), and other decorative gift and floral wrapping material,because of its changing, multicolor effect. This optical effect isexpensive to produce. In some products, such as, but not by way oflimitation, confetti, glitter, and decorative grasses, the items aresold by weight, and not volume. Therefore, it is expensive to supply thequantity of iridescent decorative material to meet the desired weight ofthese products.

The present invention describes a method which is significantly lessexpensive (that is, approximately one-third less expensive) to supplythe same weight of iridescent material for such items as confetti,flakes, such as, for example, decorative metallic flakes, glitter,decorative flakes, and other very small decorative die-cut items, suchas sequins, stars, and the like, and decorative shredded material, suchas, but not by way of limitation, decorative grasses, and otherdecorative materials sold by weight rather than volume (the forgoingdecorative items also termed herein "decorative elements"). The presentinvention contemplates laminating a light transmitting material such as,but not by way of limitation, a clear plastic sheet of material, or atinted material, or a metallic material, to the iridescent material.Such a light transmitting material permits the iridescent qualities ofthe iridescent sheet of material to be transmitted and seen through thelaminated light transmitting material. This lamination of the lighttransmitting material to the iridescent material increases the weight ofthe resulting product while mainlining a selected volume range. Thelight transmitting material is much less expensive to produce orpurchase than is a similar weight of iridescent material. In thismanner, the manufacturer is provided a considerable cost savings, whilemaintaining the quality and standards of the products, as expected byconsumers.

Similarly, lamination of light transmitting material over iridescentmaterial is contemplated for providing floral wrapping material and forproviding material to wrap flower pots or plant containers (or forproviding preformed flower pot covers and other decorative covers).Differing effects are provided via the lamination technique, combinedwith other techniques, such as, but not by way of limitation, embossingthe iridescent material and/or the light transmitting material and orother materials prior to lamination and then laminating the two or morematerials together. Additional characteristics of the iridescentmaterial, the light transmitting material, and other relevant materialsare described herein, and present a variety of interesting, unusual, anddecorative effects when two or more different materials are laminatedtogether. Such a combination maintains the iridescent characteristicswhile creating additional interesting effects hereby creating adecorative optical effect material. Shown in FIG. 1 and designatedtherein by the general reference numeral 10 is an optical effectmaterial. The material comprises a first sheet of material 11 and asecond sheet of material.

The first sheet of material 11 has an upper surface 12, a lower surface14, and an outer periphery 15. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outerperiphery 15 further comprises a first side 16, a second side 18, athird side 20 and a fourth side 22.

A bonding material 24 may be disposed on the upper surface 12 of thefirst sheet of material 11. Alternatively, however, the first sheet ofmaterial 11 may be free of a bonding material. As shown in FIG. 1, thebonding material 24, if present, is disposed in a preferred embodimentsubstantially over the upper surface 12 of the first sheet of material11. The bonding material 24 may also be disposed upon the upper surface12 in a strip of bonding material 24, although the bonding material 24also could be applied to the upper surface 20 of the first sheet ofmaterial 11 in the form of spaced apart spots or the bonding material 24also could be disposed on the upper surface 12 of the first sheet ofmaterial 11 in any other geometric or non-geometric or asymmetric forms,and in any pattern, including fanciful patterns.

The first sheet of material 11 has a thickness in a range from about 0.1mils to about 10 mils. Preferably, the first sheet of material has athickness in a range from about 0.4 mils to about 0.9 mils. The firstsheet of material 11 is constructed of a material which is flexible.

The first sheet of material 11 may be any shape and a rectangular shapeis shown in FIG. 1 only by way of example. The first sheet of material11 for example only may be square, rectangular, circular or any othergeometric , non-geometric, asymmetric or fanciful shape, such as heartshaped, for example only.

The first sheet of material 11 may be constructed of a single layer ofmaterial or a plurality of layers of the same or different types ofmaterials. The layers of material comprising the first sheet of material11 may be laminated together or connected together by any method knownin the art.

In a preferred embodiment, the first sheet of material 11 is a lighttransmitting material constructed from a plastic film (Vifan BT mediumslip biaxially oriented polypropylene film (clear)), having a thicknessin a range from between about 0.4 mil and about 0.9 mil, available fromVifan Canada, Inc., Vifan street, Lanoraie Autray, Quebec, Canada JOK1EO. An alternative plastic film (Hercules B523 oriented polypropylenepackaging film (clear)), having a thickness in a range of between about0.4 mil and about 0.9 mil, is available from Hercules Incorporated,Hercules Plaza, Wilmington, Del. 19894. The layers of materialcomprising the first sheet of material 11 are laminated together or maybe connected together by and method known in the art.

The first sheet of material 11 is constructed from any suitable wrappingmaterial that is capable of transmitting light into the iridescentmaterial and permitting the iridescent effect of the iridescent materialto be substantially maintained when the iridescent material is viewedthrough the light transmitting material. Further, the first sheet ofmaterial 11 must be capable of being wrapped about a flower pot orfloral grouping, or used as a shredded decorative material, such as, butnot by way of limitation, confetti, decorative grass, tinsel, glitter,sequins, flakes, and the like. Further, the first sheet of material mustalso be suitable for making small die-cut items, such as decals, labels,stickers, stars, and the like. Preferably, the first sheet of material11 comprises paper (the term "paper" as used herein means treated oruntreated paper, corrugated paper or cardboard or any other form ofpaper material), cellophane, foil, plastic film, metallized film, fabric(woven or nonwoven or synthetic or natural), burlap, or combinationsthereof.

The term "plastic film" as used herein means a thermo-plastic resinousmaterial, such as, but not by way of limitation, a man-made polymer suchas, but not by way of limitation, a polypropylene. The term "plasticfilm" as used herein also means a naturally occurring polymer such ascellophane. A plastic film, as contemplated and described in detailherein, is relatively strong and not as subject to tearing(substantially non-tearable), as might be the case with paper or foil.

Shown in FIG. 3 is a second sheet of material 26. The second sheet ofmaterial 26 has an upper surface 28, a lower surface 30 and an outerperiphery 31. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer periphery 31 furthercomprises a first side 32, a second side 34, a third side 36, and afourth side 38. The second sheet of material 26 is an iridescent film. Apreferred iridescent film is IF-8531 R/S, manufactured by MearlCorporation, 1050 Lower South Street, Peekskill, N. Y., 10566. Thesecond sheet of material 26 (IF-8531 R/S) has a thickness in a range ofbetween about 0.4 mil and about 0.9 mil.

The second sheet of material 26 has a thickness in a range from about0.1 mils to about 10 mils. The second sheet of material 26 has athickness preferably in a range of between about 0.4 mil and about 0.9mil. The second sheet of material 26 is also flexible, and ischaracterized by substantial iridescence.

Iridescent articles and the methods of making such articles is disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 3,231,645, entitled "Method of Making IridescentPlastic Sheets," issued to Bolomey on Jan. 25, 1966; U.S. Pat. No.3,481,663, entitled, "Iridescent Articles and Methods of Manufacture",issued to Greenstein on Dec. 12, 1969; U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,343, entitled"Multilayer Light-Reflecting Film", issued to Wilcox et al. on Jul. 24,1979; U.S. Pat. No. RE31,780, entitled "Multilayer Light-ReflectingFilm", issued to Cooper et al. on Dec. 25, 1984; U.S. Pat. No.5,008,143, entitled, "Decorative objects With Multi-Color Effects",issued to Armanini on Apr. 16, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,318, entitled,"Iridescent Film With Thermoplastic Elastomeric Components", issued toShetty et al. on Feb. 18, 1992, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,765, entitled,"Decorative Objects With Multicolor Effects", issued to Armanini on Oct.13, 1992, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

The first sheet of material 11 has a length 40 extending between thethird and fourth sides 20 and 22 of the first sheet of material 11. Thefirst sheet of material 11 also has a width 42 extending between thefirst and the second sides 16 and 18 of the first sheet of material 11.

The second sheet of material 26 has a length 44 extending between thethird and the fourth sides 36 and 38 of the second sheet of material 26.The second sheet of material 26 has a width 46 extending between thefirst and the second sides 32 and 34 of the second sheet of material 26.

The second sheet of material 26 may be any shape and a rectangular shapeas shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is illustrated only by way of example. Thesecond sheet of material 26 for example only may be square, rectangular,circular or any other geometric, non-geometric, asymmetric or fancifulshape.

The second sheet of material 26 may be constructed of a single layer ofmaterials or a plurality of layers of the same or different types ofmaterials, as long as the end result is a material having substantialiridescence which is evident on both the upper surface 28 and the lowersurface 30 of the second sheet of material 26, and the thickness of thesecond sheet of material 26 falls within the preferable range ofthickness described above. When the second sheet of material 26comprises more than one layer, the layers of material comprising thesecond sheet of material 26 may be connected together in any mannerknown in the art.

In operation, the second sheet of material 26 is placed adjacent thefirst sheet of material 11 as shown in FIG. 3. In this position, thelower surface 30 of the second sheet of material 26 is disposed adjacentthe upper surface 12 of the first sheet of material 11. A bondingmaterial 24 is disposed on the lower surface 30 of the second sheet ofmaterial 26, or, alternatively, the bonding material 24 is disposed onthe upper surface 12 of the first sheet of material 11. In a furtheralternative, the bonding material 24 may be disposed on both the lowersurface 30 of the second sheet of material 26 and the upper surface 12of the first sheet of material 11. The width 42 of the first sheet ofmaterial 11 is about equal to the width 46 of the second sheet ofmaterial 26 so that, when the first and the second sheets of material 11and 26 are disposed adjacent each other, the outer periphery 15 of thefirst sheet of material 11 is aligned with the outer periphery 31 of thesecond sheet of material 26. That is, the first side 16, the second side18, the third side 20 and the fourth side 22, respectively, of the firstsheet of material 11 is generally in alignment with the respective firstside 32, the second side 34, the third side 36 and the fourth side 38 ofthe second sheet of material 26. It should be noted, therefore, that thefirst and the second sheets of material 11 and 26 each have virtuallyidentical lengths 40 and 44, respectively, and widths 42 and 46,respectively. When at least the first sheet of material 11 and thesecond sheet of material 26 are laminated together via any bondingmaterial 24 described herein or known in the art, the optical effectmaterial 10 (and the optical effect sheet of material 64, as illustratedin FIG. 1), is formed.

In another alternative, shown in FIG. 4, the second sheet of material 26comprises a plurality of second sheets of material which comprise stripsof sheets of material (only one of the plurality of strips designated bythe numeral 26). The plurality of second sheets of material 26 arelaminated or bonded by any method known in the art to the first sheet ofmaterial 11.

It still a further embodiment, a third sheet of material 48 may belaminated to the opposite surface, that is, the upper surface 28 of thesecond sheet of material 26, in forming the optical effect material 10.In this instance, a third sheet of material 48, which is defined ashaving the identical characteristics and qualities as thosecharacteristics and qualities described in detail herein for the firstsheet of material 11 (the third sheet of material 48 may comprisedifferent characteristics and qualities than the first sheet of material11 utilized, but the third sheet of material 48 is not, unlike thesecond sheet of material 26, completely iridescent) is provided, and islaminated, for example but not by way of limitation, to the uppersurface 48 of the second sheet of material 26, as shown in FIG. 5. Thethird sheet of material 48 has an upper surface 50, a lower surface 52,and an outer periphery 54. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the outer periphery54 further comprises a first side 56, a second side 58, a third side 60and a fourth side 62.

In a further alternative, the third sheet of material 48 may belaminated to the remaining non-laminated surface of the first sheet ofmaterial 11, that is, the lower surface 14 of the first sheet ofmaterial 11. It will therefore be appreciated that multiple sheets ofmaterial 11 may be used. Moreover, when multiple sheets of material 11are used, the sheets of material 11 need not be uniform in size orshape. That is one sheet may extend beyond at least a portion of theouter periphery of another sheet of material. Finally, it will beappreciated that all sheets of material shown in all embodiments hereinare substantially flat.

As noted earlier, a bonding material 24 may be disposed on the uppersurface of the first sheet of material 11, or, alternatively, to anyother surfaces of any sheets of material described herein. The bondingmaterial 24 may be applied as a strip or as spots or other shapes. Onemethod for disposing a bonding material, in this case an adhesive, on asheet of material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,637 entitled"Method For Wrapping A Floral Grouping" issued to Weder et al., on May12, 1992 and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Anothermethod for disposing a bonding material in order to laminate two sheetsof material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,811 entitled "LaminatedPrinted Foil Flower Pot Wrap With Multicolor Appearance", issued toWeder on Nov. 3, 1981.

The term "bonding material" when used herein means an adhesive, possiblya pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive. Where the bonding materialis a cohesive, a similar cohesive material must be placed on theadjacent surface for bondingly contacting and bondingly engaging withthe cohesive material. The term "bonding material" also includesmaterials which are heat sealable and, in this instance, the adjacentportions of the material must be brought into contact and then heat mustbe applied to effect the seal. The term "bonding material" when usedherein also means a lacquer, which may be applied to the sheet ofmaterial and, in this instance, heat, sound waves, or vibrations, alsomust be applied to effect the sealing of the lacquer.

When at least the first sheet of material 11 and the second sheet ofmaterial 26 are bonded together, the optical effect material 10 shown inFIG. 1 is formed. It will be appreciated that the optical effectmaterial 10 may form a sheet of optical effect material 64, pads ofoptical effect material, and/or rolls of optical effect material, thelatter two being described in detail below.

Further, the first, second, and/or third sheets of material 11, 26, and28 may consist of designs or decorative patterns which are printed,etched, and/or embossed thereon using inks or other printing materials.An example of an ink which may be applied to the surface of the first,second and/or third sheets of material 11, 26 and 48 is described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,147,706 entitled "Water Based Ink On Foil And/Orsynthetic organic polymer" issued to Kingman on Sep. 15, 1992 and whichis hereby incorporated herein by reference. In addition, the first,second and/or third sheets of material 11, 26 and 48 may have variouscolorings, coatings, embossings, flocking and/or metallic finishes, orother decorative surface ornamentation applied separately orsimultaneously or may be characterized totally or partially bypearlescent, translucent, transparent, iridescent or the like,qualities. Each of the above-named characteristics may occur alone or incombination and may be applied to the upper and/or lower surface of thefirst, second and/or third sheets of material 11, 26 and 48. Moreover,each surface of the first, second, and/or third sheets of material 11,26 and 48 may vary in the combination of such characteristics. The firstand/or third sheets of material 11 and 48 may be opaque, translucent,clear or tinted transparent.

The bonding material 24 used to laminate the first sheet of material 11and the second sheet of material 26 together may also be tinted ofcolored by using a dye, pigment, or ink. In this manner, differentcoloring effect are provided, and the first sheet of material 11 and/orthe second sheet of material 26 may be given a colored appearance by useof a colored bonding material 24. U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,706 describedimmediately above provides one water based ink which may be used to tinteither sheet of material 11 or 26 or which may be used to tint thebonding material 24.

The use of a light transmitting material, such as a plastic film, forexample, as the first sheet of material 11 permits the iridescence ofthe second sheet of material 26 to substantially be maintained throughthe first sheet of material 11. But, when the second sheet of material26 is laminated to a first sheet of material 11 comprising either a foilor a metallized film (tinted or non-tinted), then the iridescent qualityis comprised when the laminated film is shredded into small pieces,flakes, or the like. Therefore, when the second sheet of material 26 isutilized with a first sheet of material 11 comprising a foil ormetallized film, additional adhesive, an additional sheet of clear ortinted material, or additional reflective material (such as, but only byway of example, oxide flakes) must be provided which between the secondsheet of material 26 and the first sheet of material 11 to permitoptimal light to be reflect back through the iridescent film from themetallized film, to substantially maintain, for small pieces ofdecorative material, the iridescent quality of the second sheet ofmaterial 26. It is notable that when large first and second sheets ofmaterial 11 and 26 are laminated together and not shredded, theiridescence appears substantially intact without an additional sheets ofmaterial, adhesive, or oxide flakes.

Embodiments of FIGS. 6-8

Referring now to FIG. 6, a plurality of individual sheets of opticaleffect material 64a are connected linearly together to form a roll 66.Preferably, the plurality of sheets of optical effect material 64a inthe roll 66 are connected by perforations 68, as illustrated in FIG. 6.Such a roll 66 permits one sheet of optical effect material 64a to bewithdrawn from the roll 66, then severed or disconnected from the roll66. Alternatively, the roll 66 may simply be formed as a continuous roll66 of optical effect wrapping material without perforations (not shown),wherein a plurality of sheets of optical effect material 64a may beremoved from the roll 66 by unrolling a portion of the roll 66, andusing a separate cutting element (not shown) to sever the unrolledportion of the roll 66 of material to form the sheet of optical effectmaterial 64a. The roll 66 may also be contained within a dispenser 70,as illustrated in FIG. 7. When the roll 66 is disposed in the dispenser70, a portion of the optical effect material is again unrolled, and aserrated cutting edge 72 contained within the dispenser 70, or aseparate cutting element (not shown), severs the unrolled portion of theoptical effect material from the roll 66 to form a sheet of opticaleffect material 64a. Any number of sheets of optical effect material 64amay form a roll 66 as long as it is possible to withdraw at least onesheet 64a from the roll 66 as described herein. A roll 66 formed by onesheet of optical effect material is shown in FIG. 8.

Embodiments of FIGS. 9-10

Shown in FIG. 9 is a modified optical effect material 10b which isidentical to the optical effect material 10 shown in FIGS. 1-5 anddescribed in detail previously, except that the optical effect material10b is formed into sheets of optical effect material 64b which arestacked and aligned one on top of the other to form a pad 74 of sheetsof optical effect material 64b.

The pad 74 comprises a top sheet 76 having a next sheet 78 disposeddirectly thereunder, with additional sheets of optical effect material64b disposed under the next sheet 78, all sheets collectively formingthe pad 74 of sheets of optical effect material 64b (one edge of the topsheet 76 lifted for illustration purposes only). The sheets of opticaleffect material 64b are generally aligned, and are connected togethervia a bonding material (not shown), such as, but not by way oflimitation, a pressure sensitive adhesive.

When the top sheet 76 of optical effect material 64b is lifted andremoved from the pad 74, as shown in FIG. 10, the next sheet 78 becomesthe new top sheet 76, and the sheet directly below the new top sheet 76becomes the new next 78. This process is repeated, until all of thesheets of optical material 64b in the pad 74 are removed.

In operation, a floral grouping or flower pot may be placed on the topsheet 76 in the pad 74 and the top sheet 76 may be wrapped about thefloral grouping or flower pot and removed from the pad 74. Methods offorming a pad, using the sheets of material to wrap floral groupings,and removing sheets from a pad are described in U.S. Pat. No.5,181,364entitled "Wrapping A Floral Grouping With Sheets Having Adhesive OrCohesive Material applied Thereto" issued to Weder on Jan. 26, 1993,which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Embodiments of FIGS. 11-12

Shown in FIG. 11 is a modified roll 66c of optical effect material 10cwhich comprises at least a first sheet of material 11c and a secondsheet of material 26c laminated or otherwise connected together aspreviously described in detail and illustrated herein (the opticaleffect material 10c being shown as a single layer). The roll 66c ofoptical effect material 10c is constructed exactly like the roll 66 ofoptical effect material 10a described before, except the roll 66c ofoptical effect material 10c is not disposed in a dispenser constructedlike the dispenser 70 shown in FIG. 7. Rather, the roll 66c of opticaleffect material 10c is supported on a generally mounted shaft 80. Thesheet of optical effect material 64c is withdrawn from the roll 66c ofoptical effect material 10c via a leading edge 82 until a predeterminedlength of the optical effect material 10c has been withdrawn from theroll 66c of optical effect material 10c. In this position, a portion ofthe optical effect material 10c is disposed under a knife edge 84 havinga plurality of edges. The knife edge 84 is connected to an actuator 86adapted to move the knife edge 84 in a first shredding direction 88 andin a second direction 90. When the predetermined length of the opticaleffect material 10c has been withdrawn from the roll 66c of opticaleffect material 10c, the actuator 86 actuates to move the knife edge 84in the first direction 88 to a position wherein the knife edge 84severingly engages the optical effect material 10c to shreddingly cut aplurality of elongated portions of the optical effect material 10c fromthe roll 66c of optical effect material 10c. In another optional mode,the actuator 86 may then turn the knife edge 84 to a second direction 90wherein the knife edge severingly re-engages the plurality of elongatedportion of the optical effect material 10c, thereby causing theelongated portions of the optical effect material to be severed intosmall pieces, for use as glitter, confetti, tinsel, and the like, forexample (it will be appreciated that this process is representedschematically in the drawings). The actuator 86 may comprise a hydraulicor pneumatic cylinder or a motor and gear arrangement or any other formof arrangement suitable for moving the knife edge 84 in the directions88 and 90. After the knife edge 84 has cuttingly severed the desiredportion of sheet of optical effect material 64c from the roll 66c ofoptical effect material 10c, the actuator 86 is actuated to move theknife edge 84 in the storage direction 92 to a storage position disposeda distance above the optical effect material 10c as opposed to thecutting position previously described. Alternatively, the leading edge82 may be run across a first knife edge 84 (not shown) set in thesurface to form the elongated strips of optical effect material 10c,wherein the actuator 86 actuates a second knife edge (not shown) tocross-cut the elongated strips of optical effect material 64c into smallpieces. Apparatus and methods for making decorative shredded materialsand the like is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,388, entitled,"Apparatus For Producing Weighed Charges Of Loosely AggregatedFilamentary Material", issued to Weder et al. on Mar. 3, 1987, which ishereby incorporated by reference herein.

When dealing with shredded material, especially shredded iridescentmaterial and non-iridescent material, the process of combining the twoin equal approximately equal quantities is time consuming and costly. Itis difficult, after a material is shredded, to mix the two dissimilarmaterials together. The embodiment shown previously in FIG. 4 anddescribed in detail herein would eliminate the need for costly andtime-consuming "mixing" of the two types of shredded material. Thisprocess is also advantageous for mixing even smaller pieces of material,such as sequins, labels, decals, glitter, tinsel, and the like.

Embodiments of FIGS. 13-16

As noted previously, the sheet of optical effect material 64d may beused to wrap a floral grouping 94. "Floral grouping" as used hereinmeans cut fresh flowers, artificial flowers, a single flower other freshand/or artificial plants or other floral materials and may include othersecondary plants and/or ornamentation or artificial or natural materialswhich add to the aesthetics of the overall floral arrangement. Thefloral grouping comprises a bloom (or foliage) portion 96 and a stemportion 98. However, it will be appreciated that the floral grouping 94may consist of only a single bloom or only foliage (not shown). The term"floral grouping" may be used interchangeably herein with the term"floral arrangement".

In a method of use, a modified sheet of optical effect material 64d isprovided, which is identical to the sheet of optical effect material 64shown in FIG. 1 and described in detail previously, except that thesheet of optical effect material 64d has a strip of bonding-material 24ddisposed on the upper surface 28d and near the first sides 12d and 32dof the sheet of optical effect material 64d, the strip extending betweenthe third sides 20 and 36, respectively and the fourth sides 22 and 38,respectively, of the sheet of optical effect material 64d.

A floral grouping 94 having a stem portion 98 and a bloom portion 96(FIG. 13) is disposed on the upper surface 28d of the sheet of opticaleffect material 64d. The sheet of optical effect material 64d then iswrapped about the floral grouping 94 by taking the second sides 34 and18, respectively, of the sheet of optical effect material 64c androlling the sheet of optical effect material 64d in a direction 100about the floral grouping 94 (FIG. 14). The sheet of optical effectmaterial 64d is continued to be rolled about the floral grouping 94until a portion of the bonding material 24d is disposed adjacent aportion of the lower surface 14d of the sheet of optical effect material64d and brought into bonding contact or engagement therewith (FIG. 15)thereby bondingly connecting the bonding material 24d on the uppersurface 28d of the sheet of optical effect material 64d to a portion ofthe lower surface 14d of the sheet of optical effect material 64d forcooperating to secure the sheet of optical effect material 64d in awrapped condition about the floral grouping 94 to provide a wrapper 102wrapped about the floral grouping 94, as shown in FIG. 15.

In the wrapped condition with the sheet of optical effect material 64dwrapped about the floral grouping 94 as shown in FIG. 15, the wrapper102 forms a conical shaped with an opened upper end 104 and an openedlower end 106. The wrapper 102 covers a portion of the bloom portion 96of the floral grouping 94. A portion of the stem portion 98 of thefloral grouping 94 extends through the opened lower end 106 of thewrapper 102. The wrapper 102 is tightly wrapped about the stem portion106 of the floral grouping 94. The bonding material 24d on the sheet ofoptical effect material 64d may contact and engage some of the stemportion 98 of the floral grouping 94 to cooperate in securing thewrapper 102 tightly wrapped about the stem portion 98 and to prevent thefloral grouping 94 from slipping or moving within the wrapper 102.

At least a portion of the floral grouping 94 is disposed within thewrapper 102. In some applications, the stem portion 98 of the floralgrouping 94 extends through the open lower end 106 of the wrapper 102,as described before. In other applications, the stem portion 98 does notextend through the open lower end 106 of the wrapper 102. In someapplications, the wrapper 102 is tightly wrapped about the stem portion98 of the floral grouping 94. The bloom portion 96 of the floralgrouping 98 is disposed near the open upper end 104 of the floralgrouping 94 and the bloom portion 104 of the floral grouping 98 isvisible via the open upper end 104 of the wrapper 102. In someinstances, the bloom portion 104 of the floral grouping 94 may extendbeyond the open upper end 104 of the wrapper 102. In some applications,the upper end 104 of the wrapper 102 may be closed if desired. In someapplications, the lower end 106 of the wrapper 102 may be closed ifdesired.

The wrapper 102, as shown in FIG. 15, is generally conically shaped. Thesheet of optical effect material 64d may also be wrapped about thefloral grouping 96 to form a cylindrically shaped wrapper 108 as shownin FIG. 16 or any other shape wrapper if desired in a particularapplication.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,364, entitled "Wrapping A Floral Grouping WithSheets Having An Adhesive Or Cohesive Material Applied Thereto", issuedto Weder et al. on Jan. 26, 1993, which has been incorporated byreference herein above, discloses methods of wrapping a floral groupingin a cylindrically-shaped wrapper.

Embodiments of FIGS 17-21

As noted above, a sheet of optical effect material 64 may be used toprovide a decorative cover 109 for an object such as a flower pot 110 ora potted plant. The term "flower pot" refers to any type of containerused for holding a floral grouping or a potted plant. Examples of flowerpots used in accordance with the present invention are clay pots,plastic pots, wooden pots, pots made from natural and/or syntheticfiber, and the like.

The flower pot 110 has an open upper end 112, a closed lower end 114,and an outer peripheral surface 116. An opening 118 intersects the openupper end forming an inner peripheral surface 120 and a retaining space122.

A modified sheet of optical effect material 64e, identical to the sheetof optical effect material 64 shown in FIG. 1 is provided, except thatthe sheet of optical effect material 64e has either a bonding material24e disposed substantially thereon, or is formed at least partially froma shape-sustaining material, or both. To cover the object, the sheet ofoptical effect material 64e may be manually or automatically formedabout the outer peripheral surface 116 of the pot 110 or potted plant.Or, the sheet of optical effect material 64e may be formed into apreformed decorative cover which is then placed about the outerperipheral surface 116 of the pot 110 or potted plant.

In a method of use, referring to FIG. 17, to form a sheet of opticaleffect material 64e into a decorative cover 109 about a pot 110, both aflower pot 110 and a sheet of optical effect material 64e is provided.The pot 110 is disposed upon the upper surface 28e of the sheet ofoptical effect material 64e, so the lower end 114 of the pot 110 restsupon a portion of the upper surface 28e.

In one embodiment of a manual application of the sheet of optical effectmaterial 64e about the pot 110, the upper surface 28e of the sheet ofoptical effect material 64e is formed about the outer peripheral surface116 of the pot 110 (FIGS. 18 and 19), thereby engaging the outerperipheral surface 116 to form a decorative cover 109 about the pot 110as shown in FIG. 19, in a manner which is known to those having ordinaryskill in the art. The lower surface 14e of the sheet of optical effectmaterial 64e thereby becomes the outer surface 124 of the decorativecover 109.

Another method for wrapping the sheet of optical effect material 64eabout a pot 110 for forming such a decorative cover 109 is shown in U.S.Pat. No. 4,733,521 entitled "Cover Forming Apparatus" issued to Weder etal., on Mar. 29, 1988, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.A decorative cover 109 formed by wrapping the sheet of optical effectmaterial 64e about the flower pot 110 may be secured to the outerperipheral surface 116 of the pot 110 by the use of one or more bondingmaterials described herein. One particular method of securing thedecorative cover 109 to the pot 110 is by applying a band (not shown)about the pot 110 to hold the decorative cover 109 in place such as isdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,599 entitled "Means For Securing ADecorative Cover About A Flower Pot" issued to Weder on Apr. 21, 1992and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The term "band" when used herein means any material which may be securedabout an object such as a flower pot, such bands commonly being referredto as elastic bands, rubber bands or non-elastic bands and also includesany other type of material such as an elastic or non-elastic string orelastic piece of material, non-elastic piece of material, a round pieceof material, a flat piece of material, a ribbon, a piece of paper strip,a piece of plastic strip, a piece of wire, a tie wrap or a twist tie orcombinations thereof or any other device capable of gathering the sheetof material to removably or substantially permanently form a crimpedportion and secure the crimped portion formed in the sheet of materialwhich may be secured about an object such as the flower pot. The bandalso may include a bow if desired in a particular application.

Alternatively, the sheet of optical effect material 64e may be preformedinto a decorative cover 109' having an opening 126' as shown in FIG. 20.The decorative cover 109' is self-supporting by virtue of overlappingfolds which are bonded to each other, thereby forming a rigid structure.A potted plant 128 can be disposed into the opening 126' of a preformedcover 109', thereby resulting in a decoratively covered potted plant 128as shown in FIG. 21.

One method for forming such a preformed plant cover or pot cover isshown in U. S. Pat. No. 4,773,182 entitled "Article Forming System"issued to Weder et al., on Sep. 27, 1988, which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

The term "potted plant" as used herein means a plant having a bloom orfoliage portion 96' and a stem portion 98' as well as a root portion(not shown), the root portion disposed in a growing medium 130. The term"potted plant" as used herein also includes botanical items andpropagules.

The term "botanical item" when used herein means a natural or artificialherbaceous or woody plant, taken singly or in combination. The term"botanical item" also means any portion or portions of natural orartificial herbaceous or woody plants including stems, leaves, flowers,blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or roots, taken singly or in combination,or in groupings of such portions such as bouquet or floral grouping.

The term "propagule" when used herein means any structure capable ofbeing propagated or acting as an agent of reproduction including seeds,shoots, stems, runners, tubers, plants, leaves, roots or spores.

The term "growing medium" when used herein means any liquid, solid orgaseous material used for plant growth or for the cultivation ofpropagules, including organic and inorganic materials such as soil,humus, perlite, vermiculite, sand, water, and including the nutrients,fertilizers or hormones or combinations thereof required by the plantsor propagules for growth.

The Embodiments of FIGS. 22-28

Shown in FIG. 22 and designated therein by the general reference numeral210 is a wrapper for a floral grouping constructed from the opticaleffect material 10f, as shown in FIG. 1 and described in detail hereinpreviously. The wrapper 210 comprises a sleeve 212 which is generallytubular in shape. The sleeve 212 has a first end 214, a second end 216,an outer peripheral surface 218 and an opening 220 intersecting both thefirst end 214 and the second end 216, forming an inner peripheralsurface 222 and providing a retaining space 223 therein. In someembodiments (not shown), the second end 216 is closed, forming a closedend (not shown), and the opening 220 only intersects the first end 212of the sleeve 212. Sleeves, and their construction, are well known inthe art and sleeves are commercially available, as are various devicesand mechanisms capable of forming sleeves. It will be appreciated thateither the first sheet of material 11f or the second sheet of material26f may form either the inner surface 222 or the outer surface 218 ofthe sleeve 212, respectively.

The wrapper 210 further comprises both the sleeve 212 and a floralgrouping 94f (FIG. 23). The sleeve is adapted to receive a floralgrouping 94f within the retaining space 223.

The floral grouping 94f (FIG. 23) may be disposed in the opening 220 inthe sleeve 212 and contained substantially in the receiving space 223 ofthe sleeve 212, as will be described in detail below.

A bonding material 24f may be disposed on at least a portion of theinner surface 222 of the sleeve 212 )not shown), or, alternatively, thebonding material 24f may be disposed on the outer surface 218 of thesleeve 212, as illustrated in FIG. 24, or, in a further alternative, thebonding material 24f may be disposed on both the inner surface 218 andthe outer surface 220 of the sleeve 212 (not shown).

The bonding material 24f may further comprise a color, or a combinationof colors, as previously described herein, Further, the bonding material24f may comprise at least a portion of a design on the sleeve 212."Designs," as used herein, are defined as any geometric form, or anycombination of geometric forms, for example, squares, round spots,triangles, rectangles, octagonals, or the like (not shown). "Designs"are further defined as any non-geometric, asymmetrical or fancifulforms, or any combination thereof, for example, but not by way oflimitation, hearts, balloons, flowers, lace, slogans, logos, print (anycombination of letters and/or numbers), signs, human forms (real andfictional) animal forms (real and fictional), cartoon characters, and/orplant forms.

Such a design may comprise a color, or a portion of a color, or anycombination of colors. Alternatively, at least a portion of the designmay be colorless, translucent, transparent, opaque, pearlescent,iridescent, or the like.

The sleeve 212 is generally tubularly shaped, but the sleeve 212 may be,by way of example but not by way of limitation, cylindrical, conical,frusto-conical, or a combination of both frusto-conical and cylindrical(not shown). Further, as long as the sleeve is capable of receiving afloral grouping 24f, any shape of sleeve 12, whether geometric,non-geometric, asymmetrical and/or fanciful, may be utilized.

In a general method of use, illustrated in FIGS. 23-25, at least aportion of the floral grouping 24f is disposed within the sleeve 212. Insome applications, the stem portion 98f of the floral grouping 94fextends into the sleeve 212 via the open first end 214, extendingthrough the open second end 216 of the sleeve 212 and beyond the opensecond end 216. The bloom portion 96f of the floral grouping 24f istherefore disposed near the open first end 214 of the sleeve 212 and thebloom portion 96f of the floral grouping 94f is visible via the openfirst end 14 of the sleeve. (FIGS. 23-25). In some instances, the bloomportion 96f of the floral grouping 94f may extend above the open firstend 214 of the sleeve 212. In some applications, the first end 214 ofthe sleeve 212 may be closed if desired (not shown). In somecircumstances, the second end 216 of the sleeve 212 may be closed ifdesired (not shown).

In one method of use (FIGS. 23-25), an operator provides a sleeve 212(FIG. 22), and a floral grouping 94f (FIG. 24). The operator thendisposes the floral grouping 94f into the sleeve 212 by opening thesleeve 212 at the first end 214 and assuring both that the opening 220therein is in an open condition, and that the inner peripheral surface222 of the sleeve 212 is somewhat expanded outward as well, theretaining space 223 sized to receive the floral grouping 94f, as shownin FIGS. 22. The operator then disposes the floral grouping 94f into theopening 220 in the sleeve 212 and the retaining space 223 by insertingfirst the stem portion 98f of the floral grouping 94f into the retainingspace 223 of the sleeve 212 via the opening in the first end 214, in amanner which permits a portion of the stem portion 98f to be disposed inthe retaining space 223 adjacent the second end 216 of the sleeve 212,the second end 216 generally having the narrowest diameter. In insertingthe floral grouping 94f into the sleeve 212 in this manner, the bloomportion 96f is also disposed in the retaining space 223 of the sleeve212 and the bloom portion 96f is disposed adjacent the first end 214 pfthe sleeve 212, the first end 214 having generally having the widestdiameter. In this method, at least a portion of the stem portion 98f ofthe floral grouping 94f extends slightly beyond the second end 216 ofthe sleeve 212, and the bloom portion 98f of the floral grouping 94f isclearly visible at the open first end 214 of the sleeve 212.

The sleeve 212 may then be crimped about the floral grouping 94f, asshown in FIGS. 24-25. The crimping operation is conducted by an operatorafter the floral grouping 94f is disposed in the sleeve 212 by crimpingat least a portion of the sleeve 212 in the area of the stem portion 98fof the floral grouping 212, at least a portion of the bonding material24f being disposed on this area to retain the crimped sleeve 212 in thecrimped condition. Such crimping may be conducted by hand, by graspingand substantially encompassing with one or more hands the second end 216of the sleeve 212 in the area of the bonding material 24f and evenly andfirmly squeezing that portion of the sleeve 212 about the area havingthe bonding material 24f, thereby pressing and gathering both the sleeve212 and the bonding material 24f against itself and about the stemportion 98f of the floral grouping 94f. The sleeve 212 may also becrimped by using both a crimping motion (as described above) and aturning motion to create a twisted crimping, resulting in a sleeve 212which is both crimped as previously described, and which is twistedabout at least a portion of the stem portion 98f of the floral grouping94f, the sleeve 212 near the stem portion 98f being rotated for examplebut not by way of limitation, about the stem portion 98f between aboutone-eighth of a turn to about a full turn (not shown).

When the sleeve is crimped, a plurality of overlapping folds 40 areformed in the crimped area. The plurality of overlapping folds 240 (onlyone overlapping fold designated by the numeral 240) resulting from thegathered, crimped material of the sleeve 212 may be connected, that is,all portions of the overlapping optical effect material 10f of thesleeve 12 are bondingly connected together via bonding material 24f. Aplurality of overlapping folds 240 may be formed by hand, duringcrimping, or by mechanical means. Such mechanical means are disclosedgenerally in "Article Forming System," which has been previouslyincorporated by reference herein. Alternatively, the crimping may beconducted in a manner in which not all of the plurality of overlappingfolds 40 are bondingly connected together. It will be appreciated thatthe plurality of overlapping folds 240 (connected or unconnected) areformed primarily in the crimped area. Such crimping as described abovemay also be conducted by any device or mechanism known in the art andused for gathering or crimping materials.

Alternatively, the sleeve may remain uncrimped. The bonding material 24fdisposed upon the sleeve 212 may cause the sleeve 212 to bondinglyconnect to portions of itself, causing the sleeve 212 to conform, eithergenerally, or closely (depending, as will be appreciated, upon theamount of bonding material 24f and the amount of the optical effectmaterial 10f of the sleeve 212 which overlaps and connects to itself) tothe floral grouping 94f.

When the floral grouping 94f is disposed in the sleeve 212 by any methoddescribed herein, or known in the art, the sleeve 212 substantiallysurrounds and encompasses a substantial portion of the floral grouping94f. When the sleeve 212 is disposed about the floral grouping 94f, thesleeve 212 forms a wrapper 210 which provides a decorative packaging forthe floral grouping 94f contained therein.

It will be appreciated that the sleeve 212 has sufficient flexibilitybut also sufficient rigidity to both remain in and sustain its generalshape, thereby substantially surrounding and encompassing the floralgrouping 94f.

As illustrated in FIGS. 26-28, the sleeve 212 may also extend over theouter peripheral surface 116f of a flower pot 110f. The sleeve maycomprise at least a portion of a flower pot cover (if the upper portion242 of the sleeve 212 tears away from the lower portion 244 of thesleeve 212 via vertical perforations 246 and/or circumferentialperforations 248 extending about the sleeve 212 near or above the levelof the open upper end 112f of the pot 110f, as illustrated in FIGS.26-28) or, alternatively, the sleeve 212 may extend over a pot 110falready covered by a decorative cover 109f, the sleeve 212 often beingtorn away from the decorative cover 109f after shipment and delivery(not shown). The sleeve 212 usually has a bonding material 24f disposedthereupon such that the second end 216 of the sleeve 212 will connect tothe pot 110f. Alternatively, a bonding material 24f may be disposed uponthe outer peripheral surface 116f of the flower pot. In a furtheralternative, the bonding material 24f may be disposed on both the pot110f and the sleeve 212. The flower pot 110f may contain a floralgrouping 94f disposed therein.

It will be appreciated that the method of disposing a flower pot 110finto the sleeve 212 is generally substantially similar to the methoddescribed above for disposing a floral grouping 94f into a sleeve 212.

The Embodiment of FIG. 29

Shown in FIG. 29 and designated therein by the general reference numeral250 is a wrapper for a floral grouping constructed from the opticaleffect material 10g, as shown in FIGS. 22-28 and described in detailherein previously. The wrapper 250 is identical to the sleeve 212 above,except that the wrapper 250 is a narrow tubular shape which isconstructed to accommodate a floral grouping 94g comprising generallyonly a single bloom portion 96g and stem portion 98g.

The method of use of the wrapper 250 is identical to the method of useshown in FIGS. 22-25 and described in detail herein above.

Changes may be made in the construction and the operation of the variouscomponents, elements and assemblies described herein or in the steps orthe sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An optical effect material, comprising:a firstsheet of light transmitting material having an upper surface, a lowersurface and an outer periphery; a second sheet of material having anupper surface, a lower surface and an outer periphery, the second sheetof material being substantially iridescent, the second sheet of materialbeing aligned with and bonded to the first sheet of material; a thirdsheet of material having an upper surface, a lower surface and an outerperiphery, the third sheet of material having a substantially metallicfinish, the third sheet of material being aligned with and bonded to thesecond sheet of material, wherein said first sheet of material, saidsecond sheet of material and said third sheet of material together formthe optical effect material, and wherein said optical effect material isshredded to comprise a plurality of optical effect materials.
 2. Theoptical effect material of claim 1 wherein the plurality of opticaleffect materials comprise decorative grass.
 3. An optical effectmaterial, comprising:a first sheet of light transmitting material havingan upper surface, a lower surface and an outer periphery; a second sheetof material having an upper surface, a lower surface and an outerperiphery, the second sheet of material being substantially iridescent,the second sheet of material being aligned with and bonded to the firstsheet of material; a third sheet of material having an upper surface, alower surface and an outer periphery, the third sheet of material havinga substantially metallic finish the third sheet of material beingaligned with and bonded to the second sheet of material, wherein saidfirst sheet of material, said second sheet of material and said thirdsheet of material together form the optical effect material, and whereinsaid optical effect material is flaked to comprise a plurality ofoptical effect materials.
 4. An optical effect material, comprising:afirst sheet of light transmitting material having an upper surface, alower surface and an outer periphery; a second sheet of material havingan upper surface, a lower surface and an outer periphery, the secondsheet of material being substantially iridescent, the second sheet ofmaterial being aligned with and bonded to the first sheet of material; athird sheet of material having an upper surface, a lower surface and anouter periphery, the third sheet of material having a substantiallymetallic finish, the third sheet of material being aligned with andbonded to the second sheet of material, wherein said first sheet ofmaterial, said second sheet of material and said third sheet of materialtogether form the optical effect material, and wherein said opticaleffect material is cut to comprise a plurality of optical effectmaterials. means for substantially connecting the first sheet to thesecond sheet, thereby forming the optical effect material; and means forcutting the optical effect material such that said cutting results indecorative elements formed from the optical effect material.
 5. Theoptical effect material of claim 4 wherein the plurality of opticaleffect materials comprise decorative flakes.
 6. The optical effectmaterial of claim 4 wherein the plurality of optical effect materialscomprise glitter.
 7. The optical effect material of claim 4 wherein theplurality of optical effect materials comprise tinsel.
 8. The opticaleffect material of claim 4 wherein the plurality of optical effectmaterials comprise decals.
 9. The optical effect material of claim 4wherein the plurality of optical effect materials comprise labels. 10.The optical effect material of claim 4 wherein the plurality of opticaleffect materials comprise stickers.
 11. An optical effect material,comprising:a first sheet of light transmitting material having an uppersurface, a lower surface and an outer periphery; a second sheet ofmaterial having an upper surface, a lower surface and an outerperiphery, the second sheet of material being substantially iridescent,the second sheet of material being aligned with and bonded to the firstsheet of material; a third sheet of material having an upper surface, alower surface and an outer periphery, the third sheet of material havinga substantially metallic finish, said third sheet of material comprisingat least partially a metal, the third sheet of material being alignedwith and bonded to the second sheet of material, wherein said firstsheet of material, said second sheet of material and said third sheet ofmaterial together form the optical effect material.